Chapter 17: The Iron Tree Blooms

It is no small feat for a family to sit down for a complete New Year’s Eve dinner together. Chen Yunchao had not spent the holiday at home for three years, and this year he was not leaving until after the fifth day of the lunar new year; Fan Lihua felt truly satisfied. She talked incessantly at the dinner table, occasionally picking up her sons' favorite dishes and placing them in their bowls.

Li Tian’er ate a few bites, then set down her chopsticks, intending to return to her room.

Fan Lihua was displeased. The purpose of the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner was to have the whole family together; even if one were full, one should not leave the table early. To Li Tian’er, sitting with four people who lacked emotional warmth was tedious—she had nothing to say to them, and she had no interest in their conversation.

Pretending not to hear Fan Lihua, Li Tian’er stepped off the heated brick bed and put on her cotton shoes. She had been busy all day, and her bones felt as though they were falling apart; she desperately needed to catch her breath. She chose not to clash with Fan Lihua, out of respect for how hard it had been for her to raise three sons alone as a young widow.

“Mom, stop grumbling. We’ve all eaten together, which counts as a reunion. Second sister-in-law is tired; if she wants to go back to her room to rest, let her go.”

Chen Yunchao remained silent, but Chen Haichao spoke up for his sister-in-law.

“When did I grumble?”

Fan Lihua glared at her youngest son. Although she was proud of her second son, Chen Yunchao, her heart favored her youngest. She hadn’t even been willing to buy herself new clothes for the New Year, having prepared a set for Chen Haichao long in advance. Now that her youngest son was opposing her, she felt a sudden pang of disappointment.

“Mom didn’t grumble, she didn’t. Come, let’s all have a drink.”

Chen Yunchao played the peacemaker, signaling with his eyes that Li Tian’er could leave. Li Tian’er had not been trying to defy Fan Lihua’s objection; her toe had simply been caught in the strap of her shoe, which was why she had been slow to step away.

Chen Yunchao poured wine for his mother and younger brother. Suddenly, Chen Jiangchao reached out and picked up an empty bowl nearby, gesturing for wine as well.

Usually, he just ate with his head down, consuming whatever his mother put in his bowl without ever serving himself. Once he finished his rice, he would pick up any stray grains that had fallen onto the table.

Today, the "big fool" son was asking for a drink!

Fan Lihua stood there, mouth agape, holding her glass as she stared blankly at her eldest son. Chen Yunchao and Chen Haichao were equally stunned—not because their eldest brother wanted a drink, but because a spark of intelligence had appeared in Chen Jiangchao’s eyes.

Seeing that no one responded, Chen Jiangchao simply took the large-bellied wine bottle and poured it into his blue-rimmed earthenware bowl himself.

“Eldest brother, you… you can drink?” Chen Haichao blurted out.

Chen Yunchao knelt on one knee, leaning forward to observe the change in Chen Jiangchao.

Li Tian’er, already standing on the floor, turned back to look at Chen Jiangchao. She narrowed her eyes; she needed to keep a close watch on these significant developments.

Ignoring his two younger brothers, Chen Jiangchao drained the bowl, wiped the corner of his mouth, and let out a long breath.

“Mom, I want to go to school and learn.”

“What?”

Fan Lihua had not yet recovered from the first shock, and Chen Jiangchao’s words hit her with a second.

“I want to go to school.”

“Eldest brother, what kind of school do you want to attend?” Chen Haichao’s eyes were wide, unable to believe that the words "go to school and learn" could come from his simple-minded brother.

“Eldest brother, are you drunk?” Chen Yunchao asked, though he immediately realized the logic was flawed; even a drunkard wouldn't say such things.

Fan Lihua stood up and leaned over to touch Chen Jiangchao’s forehead, suspecting that some spirit had possessed her eldest son. “Jiangchao, are you feeling unwell?”

Chen Jiangchao dodged his mother’s hand. “I’m not unwell. I want to go to school and learn. Taohua told me to.” He pointed at Li Tian’er, who was standing there squinting at him.

All eyes in the room converged on Li Tian’er, as hot and piercing as a spotlight.

“Taohua, what’s going on? Why did you tell Jiangchao those things? You know he’s ill; what kind of schooling could he possibly handle?”

Li Tian’er said nothing, continuing to study Chen Jiangchao. Seeing his mother’s reaction, Chen Jiangchao grew unhappy and declared loudly that he was not ill and that he insisted on studying. Li Tian’er then smiled faintly.

“Everyone, don’t worry. I’ve given eldest brother a few doses of medicine, and he has now recovered. He wants to study and learn because he wants to become a useful person.”

Li Tian’er had been giving Chen Jiangchao medicinal pills, and fearing the effect wasn't enough, she had added brain-strengthening supplements. Every time she coaxed him to take his medicine, she told him that once he was well, he could go to school and become a useful person, adding that those who only knew how to eat and sleep were no better than pigs.

She hadn’t expected Chen Jiangchao to take her words to heart.

“My eldest son is finally not a fool!”

Fan Lihua was so overcome with emotion she didn’t know what to say. She pulled Chen Jiangchao to her, looking him over again and again until she was convinced he was no longer simple-minded. Then, she remembered the person she needed to thank: her second daughter-in-law, Li Taohua.

Chen Jiangchao was turning thirty that year, and he was to attend the village primary school. The news that the Chen family’s "big fool" was going to school immediately became the talk of Xiaowu Village. The villagers were amazed; they had no idea the Chen family’s eldest son could ever be capable of schooling.

On the day school started, villagers who never normally saw their children off were seen accompanying them to the primary school, with some grandparents joining in as well. Since the New Year had just passed, the festive atmosphere lingered, and watching the "fool" go to school was a bit of extra entertainment.

A fool going to school—it was like a withered tree blooming.

As Fan Lihua and Chen Jiangchao walked side by side, someone in the crowd heckled, “Can a big fool go to school?” An unknown child asked their parents, who hurriedly covered the child's mouth to silence them.

The Chen family had renovated their storehouse to treat villagers, and since the fifth day of the lunar new year, more than a dozen patients had been cured by the hands of the second daughter-in-law. Even the village clinic’s barefoot doctor had come to seek her advice.

The status of the Chen family in the village was now even higher than that of Li Taohua’s own family. People from neighboring villages had even begun asking about the "Taohua Fairy" of Xiaowu Village who could cure any ailment.

Walking through the low, mud-brick walls of the village school, Fan Lihua was filled with a thousand emotions. She had brought her eldest son here when he was seven.

Back then, Chen Jiangchao had slept in class, snored, and had a runny nose. During breaks, he would fight with classmates over toys and end up crying and rolling on the ground. By the next day, the school had expelled him and told Fan Lihua to take her "big fool" home.

The children who had been in his class back then—except for those whose families were too poor to afford a marriage—were now mostly parents themselves.

“Study hard. If you can’t keep up, tell Mom,” Fan Lihua instructed, just as she had all those years ago.

Chen Jiangchao, carrying the green bag Chen Yunchao had given him, walked straight to the back seat against the wall. He nodded and smiled at his mother, who stood at the door with tear-filled eyes, then waved for her to leave. He paid no attention to the noisy gossip outside the window. He took his pencil case and the notebook with his name written on it from his bag, placed his hands on the unpainted desk, and sat quietly, waiting for the teacher to arrive.